Education in the United States: Useful Information->U.S. System of Higher Education #0

Glossary: Dictionary of Terms Relating to the U.S. Education System

Academic Adviser: Members of the faculty who helps with and advises the student on academic matters. He or she may also assist the student during the registration process.

Academic Year: The period of formal academic instruction, usually September to June. Depending on the institution, it may be divided into terms of varying lengths-semesters, trimesters or quarters.

Accreditation: Approval of colleges, universities and secondary schools by nationally recognized professional associations. institutional accreditation affects the transferability of credits from one institution to another before a degree program is completed.

Advanced Placement or Advanced Standing: A waiver of some of the studies normally required for an undergraduate degree, granted to a student on the basis of prior study or experience (often as indicated by the student's performance on special examinations).

Baccalaureate Degree: The degree of "Bachelor" conferred upon graduates of most U.S. colleges and universities.

Bachelor's Degree: Degree conferred by an institution of higher learning after the student has accumulated a certain number of undergraduate credits. Usually a bachelor's degree takes four years to earn, and it is a prerequisite for studies in a graduate program.

Campus: The land on which the buildings of a college or university are located.

Class Rank: A number or ratio indicating a student's academic standing in his or her graduating class. A student who ranks first in a class of 100 students would report his or her class rank as 1/100. Class rank may also be expressed in percentiles (i.e., the top 25 percent, the lower 50 percent).

College: An institution of higher learning that offers undergraduate programs, usually of a four-year duration, which lead to the Bachelor's Degree in the arts or sciences (B.A. or B.S.). The term "College" is also used in a general sense to refer to a postsecondary institution. The terms "College" and "University" are used interchangeably in the U.S.

College Catalog: An official publication of a college or university giving information about academic programs, facilities (such as laboratories, dormitories, etc.), entrance requirements and student life.

Community, Technical or Junior College: An institution of higher learning that offers programs of up to two years' duration leading to an associate degree in the arts or sciences (A.A. or A.S.) or to a technical degree. Credits earned at a community or junior college are usually transferable to a four-year institution with programs leading to a Bachelor's Degree. Students on a two-year program prepare for semi-professional or technical employment. Community and or Junior colleges usually require a secondary school diploma or its equivalent for admission.

Course: Regularly scheduled class sessions of one to five (or more) hours per week during a term. A degree program is made up of a specified number of required and elective courses and varies from institution to institution. The courses offered by an institution are usually assigned a name and number ("Mathematics 101," for example) for identification purposes.

Credits: Units institutions use to record the completion of courses of instruction (with passing or higher grades) that are required for an academic degree. The catalog of a college or university defines the amounts and kinds of credits that are required for its degrees and states the value in terms of degree credit -- or "credit hours" or "credit points" -- of each course offered.

Cut: Unauthorized absence from a class.

Dean: Director or highest authority within a certain professional school or college of a university.

Degree: Diploma or title conferred by a college, university or professional school upon completion of a prescribed program of studies.

Department: Administrative subdivision of a school, college or university through which instruction in a certain field of study is given (such as English department, history department).

Dormitories: Housing facilities on the campus of a college or university reserved for students. A typical dormitory would include student rooms, bathrooms, common rooms and possibly a cafeteria.

Drop: See "Withdrawal."

Electives: Courses that students may "elect" (choose freely) to take for credit toward their intended degree as distinguished from courses that they are required to take.

Faculty: The members of the teaching staff, and occasionally the administrative staff, of an educational institution. The faculty is responsible for designing the plans of study offered by the institution.

Fees: An amount charged by schools, in addition to tuition, to cover costs of institutional services.

Financial Aid: A general term that includes all types of money, loans and part-time jobs offered to a student.

Flunk: To fail an examination or course.

Foreign Student Adviser: The person associated with a school, college or university who is in charge of providing information and guidance to foreign students in such areas as U.S. government regulations, student visas, academic regulations, social customs, language, financial or housing problems, travel plans, insurance and certain legal matters.

Freshman: A first-year student at a high school, college or university.

Full-time Student: One who is enrolled in an institution and taking a full load of courses; the number of courses and hours is specified by the institution.

Grade: The evaluation of a student's academic work.

Grade Point Average (GPA): A system of recording academic achievement based on an average calculated by multiplying the numerical grade received in each course by the number of credit hours studied.

Grading System: Schools, colleges and universities in the United States commonly use letter grades to indicate the quality of a student's academic performance: A (excellent), B (good), C (average), D (below average), and E or F (failing). Work rated C or above is usually required of an undergraduate student to continue his or her studies. Grades of P (pass), S (satisfactory), and N (no credit) are also used. In percentage scales, 100 percent is the highest mark, and 65-70 percent is usually the lowest passing mark.

Graduate: A student who has completed a course of study, either at the high school or college level. A graduate program at a university is a study course for students who hold a bachelor's degree.

High School: The last three or four years of the 12-year public education program in the United States.

Higher Education: Postsecondary education at colleges, universities, junior or community colleges, professional schools, technical institutes and teacher-training schools.

Institute of technology: An institution of higher education which specializes in the sciences and technology, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Junior: A third-year student at a high school, college or university.

Lecture: Common method of instruction in college and university courses; a professor lectures in classes of 20 to several hundred students. Lectures may be supplemented with regular small group discussions led by teaching assistants.

Liberal Arts: A term referring to academic studies of subjects in the humanities (language, literature, philosophy, the arts), the social sciences (economics, sociology, anthropology, history, political science) and the sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry). Also called "liberal arts and sciences," or "arts and sciences."

Maintenance: Referring to the expenses of attending a college or university, including room (living quarters), board (meals), books, clothing, laundry, local transportation and miscellaneous expenses.

Major: The subject or area of studies in which students concentrate. Undergraduates usually choose a major after the first two years of general courses in the arts and sciences.

Minor: The subject or area of studies in which students concentrate their studies to a lesser extent than in their majors.

Non Resident: Students who do not meet the residence requirements of the state or city that has a public college or university. Tuition fees and admissions policies may differ for residents and non-residents. Foreign students are usually classified as non-residents, and there is little possibility of changing to resident status at a later date for fee purposes. Most publicly supported institutions will not permit a foreign student to be classified as a resident student while on a student visa.

Notarization: The certification of a document, a statement or a signature, as authentic and true by a public official-known in the United States as a "Notary Public." Applicants in other countries should have their documents certified or notarized in accordance with instructions.

Placement Test: An examination used to test a student's academic ability in a certain field so that he or she may be placed in the appropriate courses in that field. In some cases a student may be given academic credit based on the results of a placement test.

Plan of Study: A detailed description of the course of study for which a candidate applies. The plan should incorporate the objective given in the student's "statement of purpose".

Prerequisites: Programs or courses that a student is required to complete before being permitted to enroll in a more advanced program or course.

President: The rector or highest administrative officer of an academic institution.

Quarter: Period of study of approximately 10 to 12 weeks' duration.

Quiz: Short written or oral test, less formal than an examination.

Recommendation, Letter of: A letter appraising an applicant's qualifications, written by a teacher, professor or employer who knows the applicant's character and work. Also called "personal recommendation," "personal endorsement," or "personal reference."

Registration: Selection of courses to be taken during a quarter, semester or trimester.

Scholarship: A study grant of financial aid, usually given at the undergraduate level, which may be supplied in the form of a cancellation of tuition and/or fees.

Semester: Period of study of approximately 15 to 16 weeks' duration, usually half of an academic year.

Seminar: A form of small group instruction, combining independent research and class discussions under the guidance of a professor. Seminars are usually open to undergraduate seniors and graduate students.

Senior: A fourth-year student at a high school, college or university.

Social Security Number: A number issued by the U.S. government to job-holders for payroll deductions for old age, survivors and disability insurance. Anyone who works regularly must obtain one. Many institutions use the Social Security number as a student identification number.

Sophomore: A second-year student at a high school, college or university.

Special Student: A student at a college or university who is not enrolled as a candidate for a degree.

Subjects: Courses in an academic discipline offered as part of a curriculum of an institution of higher learning.

Survey Course: A course which covers briefly the principal topics of a broad field of knowledge.

Syllabus: An outline of topics to be covered in an academic course.

Teacher's College: institution of higher learning that confers degrees, especially in teacher education, or a college within a university which offers professional preparation for teachers.

Test: Examination. Any procedure measuring the academic progress of a student.

Transcript: A certified copy of a student's educational record containing titles of courses, the number of credits and the final grades in each course. An official transcript will also state the date a degree has been conferred.

Trimester: Period of study consisting of approximately three equal terms of 16 weeks during the academic year.

Tuition: The money an institution charges for instruction and training (does not include the cost of books or supplies).

Undergraduate Studies: Two or four year programs in a college or university after high school graduation, leading to the Associate (2 year) or Bachelor's degree (4 year).

University: An educational institution that usually maintains one or more four-year undergraduate colleges (or schools) with programs leading to a Bachelor's Degree; a graduate school of arts and science awarding Master's Degrees and Doctorates (Ph.D's); and graduate professional schools.

Vocational Schools: Institutions which prepare students for semi-professional or technical employment.

Withdrawal: The administrative procedure of dropping a course or leaving an institution.

Zip code: A series of numbers at the end of a U.S. mailing address that designates postal delivery districts in the United States.

Useful Information: U.S. System of Higher Education